Belt-type drive arrangement for spinning machines and the like

ABSTRACT

In order to be able to stop a spool on a thread-spinning machine without stopping the drive motor, the drive pulley, which is connected via a belt to the driven pulley of the spool, is coated with a synthetic-resin layer affording a relatively high coefficient of friction while the coefficient of friction of the driven pulley is relatively low. A tensioning pulley enables slackening of the belt so that it will continue to move with the drive pulley but will slip on the driven pulley.

United States Patent Inventor Aloys Grelve Munster, Westphalia, Germany Appl. No. 814,065 Filed Apr. 7, 1969 Patented Sept. 7, 1971 Assignee Hamel G.m.b.I-I. Zwlrnerel-und Splnnerelmuchlnen Munster, Westphalia, Germany Priority Apr. 11, 1968 Germany P 17 60 172.8

BELT-TYPE DRIVE ARRANGEMENT FOR SPINNING MACHINES AND THE LIKE 9 Claims, 12 Drawing Figs.

11.8. CI 57/105, 74/227, 74/242.ll

lnt.Cl D0! 3/16, Fl6h 7/00, F16h 7/08 Field of Search 57/104,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,993,906 3/1935 Whiteley 57/105 3,035,400 5/1962 Stahlecker l 57/105 3,060,673 10/1962 Anderson et al... 57/105 3,382,661 5/1968 Davies 57/105 3,479,809 11/1969 Herubel 57/105 Primary Examiner-John Petrakes Alt0meyKarl F. Ross ABSTRACT: In order to be able to stop a spool on a threadspinning machine without stopping the drive motor, the drive pulley, which is connected via a belt to the driven pulley ofthe spool, is coated with a synthetic-resin layer affording a relatively high coefficient of friction while the coefficient of friction of the driven pulley is relatively low. A tensioning pulley enables slackening of the belt so that it will continue to move with the drive pulley but will slip on the driven pulley.

PATENTED SEF 712m SHEET 1 0F 4 INVENTOR.

ALOYS GREIVE ATTORNEY PATENTED SEP 7 I971 SHEET 2 [1F 4 FIG.4

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INVENTOR.

ALOYS GREIVE am ATTORNEY OJ w PATENTED SEP 71971 SHEET 3 UP 4 FIG.8

FIG.9

INVENTOR. ALOYS GREIVE m l 72m;

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AT TO RNEY PATENIEDSEP mm 3603069 SHEU u BF 4 F l G ll INVENTOR.

ALOYS GREIVE aw 0- M ATTORNEY BELT-TYPE DRIVE ARRANGEMENT FOR SPINNING MACHINES AND THE LIKE My present invention relates to a drive arrangement, in particular to a belt-type drive for a yarn or thread twisting or spinning machine or the like.

In order to change a spool on a yamor thread-twisting or spinning machine it is desirable to immobilize the spool shaft to enable the spool or core to be remove and a new one placed on the shaft. Since such spools are usually driven in banks, a continuously operable drive is used. In such systems the main power shaft carries a number of flat-belt drive pulleys, each of which is partly encircled by the belt coupling it to the respective driven pulley.

In this system, the drive pulley is made to contact one face, usually the outside, of the belt, whereas the spool pulley contacts the other face. The belt is made with a face of high frictional coefficient (e.g. rubber) contacting the drive pulley which usually is of pressed or composite, resin-bonded material, e.g. Bakelite, stamped sheet metal, or aluminum, and a textile face oflower friction coefficient against the driven pulley. Thus, a simple or slackening of the belt through a shiftable tensioning arrangement will cause the belt to slip on the driven pulley, which is usually composed of steel. Slippage on the continuously operated drive pulley results in build up of heat and the consequent deterioration of both pulley and belt.

Such a double-face belt demands careful and very expensive manufacture. Since such belts are prone to wear out, their constant replacement involves high operating costs.

It more therefore, a principal object of my present invention to provide an improved drive arrangement for machines of the character described.

A mores specific object is to provide a belt-drive arrangement for machines for the spinning and twisting of yarn and thread which allows use of a simpler belt than has been required heretofore.

I attain these objects, and others which will become apparent hereinafter, by coating the drive pulley of the arrangement according to my present invention with a synthetic-resin layer with a relatively high coefficient of sliding friction. Using a customary steel crowned driven pulley, the belt will slip on the driven pulley while engaging the drive pulley and being driven thereby. A means for tensioning the belt, e.g. a tension pulley on a shiftable arm, is provided. In this manner a simple loosening of the belt allows the driven pulley to be stopped and the spool to be switched while the belt continues to run at full or near full speed with the drive pulley.

Thus my invention allows a completely conventional belt to be used (without special care to provide a higher frictional coefficient on one face than the other), while overheating due to friction of the belt on the drive belt is almost totally eliminated since this belt never stops and moves with the drive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The above and other objects, features, and advantages of my present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accom panying drawing in which:

FIG. I is a side elevational view, partly in section and partly diagrammatic, illustrating an embodiment of my invention in which the belt underslings the continuously operable drive puliey,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drive assembly of FIG. I with the drive mover shown diagrammatically and the main shaft ofthe spinning and twisting machine broken away;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of an embodiment of the invention wherein the belt is overslung about the drive pulley and the belt-tensioning device is located therebelow;

FIGv 4 is a plan view of the drive of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 of a somewhat more complicated system in which the arc of the periphery of the drive pulley in contact with the belt exceeds two quadrants,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the system of FIG. 5 showing how the belt is used to drive two spindles of yarn or thread twisting or spinning machine:

FIG. 7 is another side elevational view showing an embodiment of the invention similar to that of FIG. 5 but wherein the belt extends from the drive pulley at a tangent from below in a horizontal plane to the spindle and the drive pulley;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are respectively side elevational and topplan views of a belt-type drive according to still another embodiment of the invention wherein two continuously operated drive pulleys are used to power spindles on opposite sides of the drive pulleys; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are respectively side elevational and top plan views of yet a further embodiment of the instant invention using a toggle arrangement for tensioning and detensioning or slackening the beit.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and in FIGS. 3 and 4, a support 1 mounts a bearing 2 in which a shaft 3 formed with a crown pulley 4 is rotatable about an axis 8. A belt 5 is tensioned around a pulley 4 and idler pulleys 9 and I0 and is further contacted by a drive pulley 6 coupled through a shaft 7 to a motor 14. A spool 13 of thread for a spinning machine, as described in the commonly assigned copending application Ser. No. 8 l0,464 filed on 26 Mar. 1969 by myself and Aloys Treus and entitled Method of and apparatus for spinning and treating thread," is mounted on the shaft or spindle 3.

The pulley I0 is mounted on a springJoaded displaceable arm I! and serves as a tension pulley to force the belt 5 into tighter or looser contact with the pulleys on motion in the direction of arrows A and B respectively. Pulleys 9 and 10 have axes which are slightly skew (see FIG. 2) and lie along common secant or chord of the drive pulley 6 so that the centers of pulleys 7, 9 and 10 defined a triangle.

The drive arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 differs from that of FIGS. 3 and 4 in that the tensioning arm II in the latter embodiment is mounted below the drive pulley 6 instead of above it.

The pulley 6 is provided with a syntheticresin coating 12 (e.g. of polyurethane) in contact with the belt 5. The belt 5 is advantageously a simple flat belt with both faces of like frictional properties. The driven pulley 4 is here made of steel with a polished surface while the coating 12 is slightly porous. In this manner the coefficient of sliding friction between the belt 5 and the drive pulley 6 is much greater than that between the belt 5 and the driven pulley 4. This difference allows the spool 13 to be changed, or simply replaced with a full one when empty by moving the tensioning arm 11 in the direction 8 slightly and removing the oId spool 13 by hand.

With this slight loosening of the belt 5 the coefficient of slid ing friction with the driven pulley 4 becomes so minor that this latter can simply be stopped from rotating by hand or will stop all by itself. In any case, due to the great coefficient of sliding friction between the drive pulley 6 and the belt 5, this latter continues to run at full speed, without any notable wear.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a drive arrangement wherein a belt is spanned over two idler pulleys 109' and 109" held on a common yoke 120, a tension pulley on an arm III, a drive pulley 106 with a coating 112 and rotatable with a driven shaft I07, and a pair of crown pulleys 104' and 104" on respective shafts 103' and 103" journaled in bearings I02 and I02" in a support 101.

Here displacement of the arm II] and roller 110 in the direction of arrow A tightens the belt 105 and in the direction of arrow B loosens it. The drive shaft 107 here, as in FIGS. 1-4 is perpendicular to rotation axes 108 of the spindles 103', I03". The coating 112 interacts with the belt 105 as in the above-mentioned figures. Here, as in the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, the pulley I09 has its axis skew to the axis of pulley 109", while the pulleys 110 and 109' are diametrically,

opposite one another across the drive pulley 106. The pulleys 109', and 109" and 110 lie at the vertues ofa triangle.

As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 a belt 205 is spanned over two idler pulleys 209 and 209" carried on a common yoke 220, around a tensioning roller 210 on a spring-loaded arm 211, against a drive roller 206 with a coating 212 and a drive shaft 207, and finally around two driven crown pulleys 204' and 204" formed on respective shafts 203' and 20 journaled respec tively in bearings 202' and 202" in a support 201. This structure is similar to that of FIGS. and 6, however here the tensiorting arrangement 210, 211 is above rather than below the drive pulley 206, an arrangement useful in many spinning or twisting machines.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a belt 305 spanned around four driven pulleys 304a-d on respective shafts 303ad, journaled in respective bearings 302a-d and rotatable about respective axes 308a-d. In addition the belt 305 contacts coatings 312' and 312" on a pair of drive pulleys 206' and 306" fixed on drive shafts 307 and 307", and is tensioned by a pulley 310 mounted on a spring-loaded adjustable arm 311.

Here the arm 311 controls the starting and stopping of four spools mounted on shafts 303a-a'. It is also interesting to note here that it is possible to adjust the tensioning pulley for any of the embodiments, but particularly for those embodiments wherein a plurality of spools are driven by a single belt, such that merely grasping the spool which needs to be replaced with the fingers is enough to stop it, but that the frictional force is enough to spin it at the desired speed under normal operating conditions.

As seen in FIGS. I1 and 12 four pulleys 404a-d on respective shafts 403a-d rotatable in bearings 402a-d about axes 408ad are encircled by a belt 405 also contacting two coatings 412' and 412" of respective drive pulleys 406' and 406" on shafts 407' and 407" and over a tensioning pulley 410 on a toggle arm 41!. This embodiment is similar to that of FIGS. 9 and 10, but here the tensioning arrangement 410, 41] is above rather than below the dual drive pulleys. Once again, the structure of the respective spinning machines determines which embodiment is more advantageous.

The improvement described and illustrated is believed to admit of many modifications within the ability or persons skilled in the art, all such modifications being considered within the spirit and scope of the invention except as limited by the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A drive arrangement for a rotatable load comprising:

a rotatable drive pulley having a nonmetallic coating of rela tively high coefficient of sliding friction;

a rotatable driven pulley connected to said load and having a metaliic surface with a relatively low coefficient of sliding friction;

a belt frictionally engaging and interconnecting said pulleys;

and

means for tensioning said belt against said pulleys whereby on loosening of said belt slip occurs between said driven pulley and said belt before slip between said drive pulley and said belt.

2. The arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said coating is a synthetic resin.

3. The arrangement defined in claim 2 wherein said load is a spool.

4. The arrangement defined in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of said driven pulleys in frictional contact with said belt.

5. The arrangement defined in claim 2, further comprising two such drive pulleys in frictional contact with said belt, said means comprising a tensioning pulley adjacent and substantially between said drive pulleys on said belt.

6. A yarn or thread spinning or twisting machine comprising a plurality of spindles adapted to receive respective spools; motor-driven power shaft common to all said spindles; and a plurality of drive arrangements as defined in claim 1 spaced along said power shaft and coupling same to at least one of said spindles, the driven pulley and driving pulley of each of said arrangements being respectively coupled with the cor responding spindle and with said power shaft, said belt having a pair of opposite pulley-engaging faces of substantially identi cal frictional coeificients and engaging the corresponding drive pulley over at least of its periphery while passing around the corresponding driven pulley, said coating consisting of a synthetic-resin material adapted to raise the coefficient of sliding friction thereof on the periphery of the drive pulley, said means for tensioning the belt of each arrangement including at least one idler pulley having the corresponding belt looped therearound, an arm carrying said idler pulley, and means supporting said arm for movement relative to the corresponding drive pulley to selectively tension and slacken the respective belt.

7. The machine defined in claim 6 wherein a further idler pulley is provided for each arrangement and the respective belt is also looped therearound, the idler pulleys of each arrangement having axes skew to one another and lying along a common secant to the drive pulley.

8. The machine defined in claim 6 wherein two additional idler pulleys are provided for each arrangement in spaced relationship about the respective drive pulley, two of the idler pulleys about each drive pulley lying generally diametrically opposite one another across the respective drive pulley.

9. The machine defined in claim 6 wherein said arm forms part ofa toggle linkage for positioning said idler pulley. 

1. A Drive arrangement for a rotatable load comprising: a rotatable drive pulley having a nonmetallic coating of relatively high coefficient of sliding friction; a rotatable driven pulley connected to said load and having a metallic surface with a relatively low coefficient of sliding friction; a belt frictionally engaging and interconnecting said pulleys; and means for tensioning said belt against said pulleys whereby on loosening of said belt slip occurs between said driven pulley and said belt before slip between said drive pulley and said belt.
 2. The arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said coating is a synthetic resin.
 3. The arrangement defined in claim 2 wherein said load is a spool.
 4. The arrangement defined in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of said driven pulleys in frictional contact with said belt.
 5. The arrangement defined in claim 2, further comprising two such drive pulleys in frictional contact with said belt, said means comprising a tensioning pulley adjacent and substantially between said drive pulleys on said belt.
 6. A yarn or thread spinning or twisting machine comprising a plurality of spindles adapted to receive respective spools; motor-driven power shaft common to all said spindles; and a plurality of drive arrangements as defined in claim 1 spaced along said power shaft and coupling same to at least one of said spindles, the driven pulley and driving pulley of each of said arrangements being respectively coupled with the corresponding spindle and with said power shaft, said belt having a pair of opposite pulley-engaging faces of substantially identical frictional coefficients and engaging the corresponding drive pulley over at least 90* of its periphery while passing around the corresponding driven pulley, said coating consisting of a synthetic-resin material adapted to raise the coefficient of sliding friction thereof on the periphery of the drive pulley, said means for tensioning the belt of each arrangement including at least one idler pulley having the corresponding belt looped therearound, an arm carrying said idler pulley, and means supporting said arm for movement relative to the corresponding drive pulley to selectively tension and slacken the respective belt.
 7. The machine defined in claim 6 wherein a further idler pulley is provided for each arrangement and the respective belt is also looped therearound, the idler pulleys of each arrangement having axes skew to one another and lying along a common secant to the drive pulley.
 8. The machine defined in claim 6 wherein two additional idler pulleys are provided for each arrangement in spaced relationship about the respective drive pulley, two of the idler pulleys about each drive pulley lying generally diametrically opposite one another across the respective drive pulley.
 9. The machine defined in claim 6 wherein said arm forms part of a toggle linkage for positioning said idler pulley. 